Fitting In
by Akutenshi6
Summary: A half-dragon and his pseudo-dragon familiar set forth on an adventure. Please R+R


As Bryson left the Duke's council chamber he felt the lightest whisper of air near his ear as his familiar landed on his golden-armored right shoulder. "Where have you been, Axerxes?" he asked the pseudo-dragon.   
  
"In the kitchen, where else?" the drakeling made a show of examining his claws.  
  
"Not filching food again, I hope," Bryson looked sternly at him.  
  
Axerxes' eyes opened wide with innocence, "Filching? Why I never- how could you accuse me of such? It just so happens that the kitchen staff is too unobservant to notice me helping myself, and- hey!" Axerxes yelped as Bryson grabbed him by the wings and held him face to face.  
  
"What have I told you? How could you misbehave in a place like this? Do you have any idea how much trouble I could get into over a stupid thing like that?" he hissed as his yellow, slit eyes bored into the offending familiar.  
  
Axerxes swiped a clawed hand at the fingers that held him to no avail as Bryson's soft golden scales deflected any injury, "Let me go!" he demanded, "I've done no wrong. The Duke said to make ourselves feel at home, and do I filch food at home? You're damn right I do, what with your inconsistency in feeding me. I've got to look out for myself. Gah!" Bryson dropped him.  
  
"Inconsistency in feeding you?" he balked, "I've done no such thing."  
  
"Oh yes you did!" Axerxes picked himself off the ground and shook himself in that funny way he had, starting at the tip of his tail and moving up the body until it reached the wingtips extended over his head, "What'd you call it? A diet?"  
  
Bryson frowned, "That's your fault, not mine. If you would fly every once in a while instead of sitting on my shoulder all the time, you wouldn't have needed to go on a diet. You were starting to get chubby."  
  
Axerxes waved his little fists at Bryson in outrage, "Chubby? Chubby?! There's no such thing as a chubby pseudo-dragon!"  
  
"So tell me what to call something that looks like a pseudo-dragon but is chubby and I'll rename you," Bryson offered through clenched, sharp teeth.  
  
"You!" Axerxes huffed, "Why I…" he began to wave his hands and chant the words to a spell.  
  
"Axerxes, no! Not here!" Bryson commanded him, "I was lucky enough to get this commission from the duke and I won't have you ruin it!"  
  
Axerxes's arms went still and he drew back defensively. Bryson could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes before Axerxes tried to hide them by looking at the ground. "Lucky my arse," Axerxes muttered sullenly as he wrung his tail in his hands and tested the sharpness of his stinger.  
  
"Aw, come on, I'm sorry for yelling at you," Bryson said as he saw the first signs of a major sulk coming on.  
  
"No! You're not sorry!" Axerxes pouted, and Bryson rolled his eyes as he realized he was already too late to stop it. "You're more concerned about these people who treat you like a monster all because of your good looks!"  
  
"I've told you," Bryson sighed and ran a hand through his short blond hair, "a predatory aspect doesn't go over well with most people."  
  
"Well, that's not your fault is it? These people treat you like crap!"  
  
"Axerxes, that's quite enough," Bryson tried to shush him.  
  
"Oh no!" the pseudo-dragon fluttered back on his gossamer wings and waggled a clawed finger at him, "You're not shutting me up this time! I'm sick of all these people treating you like dirt! And you, you're no help with your, 'Thank you, m'lord.' 'On my honor, m'lord.' 'By your leave, m'lord' 'Thank you ever so much for letting me exist, m'lord' and 'May I kiss your balmy bum now, m'lord?' It's pathetic!"  
  
"Axerxes, enough!" Bryson roared at him, and the little familiar crouched on his lavender belly and looked up contritely at him as tears began to well in his opalescent eyes once more.  
  
"It's just not fair," Axerxes said in a small, sad voice.  
  
"I know," Bryson said as he crouched down to pet the pseudo-dragon soothingly on the deep purple scales of the back of his head, "but nothing is going to change unless I do something noteworthy, and I won't have a better opportunity to prove myself than working for the duke, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Axerxes agreed morosely as Bryson picked him up and stood. "I still say you should let me sting him."  
  
"Come on," Bryson used a finger to lift Axerxes' gaze from the floor to his own, "I can't do this alone. Promise you'll help me?"  
  
"Yeah, I promise," the drakeling fluttered up to his master's right shoulder once more.  
  
"I knew I could count on you," Bryson patted him on the head as he left. 


End file.
